Emerald Skies
by lynlyn
Summary: We really don't know who Cloud's real father is, so what if there is still more to him than meets the eye? This is a postgame fic dealing with the revival of certain characters, and the possibility of a new enemy not unlike Hojo. Eventual SxC.
1. Default Chapter

**Title** : Emerald Skies

**Author** : lynlyn

**Author email** : cloud121383@yahoo.com

**Warnings** : Here is where I warn off readers who can't take _yaoi_. The main pairing here is Sephiroth / Cloud, though that bit will be coming much, much later, after quite a few chapters of character and plot development. If you're open-minded, and like action and adventure, then well and good, but if you don't like romance between two guys, then skip the mushy chapters, or don't read at all. This fic takes off right after the game, and will seem a bit confusing to those who don't know much about the characters' pasts.

**Summary** : This chapter's just a prelude of sorts to give way to the plot, i.e. tying post-Meteor issues up to prepare for the rest of the story.

**Rating** : PG-13 for adult themes, swearing, and a bit of violence. The rating might go up in later chapters, though.

**Disclaimer** : I do not own Final Fantasy 7, its characters, or anything associated with it. I'm not writing this for profit; I'm only doing so for personal satisfaction, plus the fact that I want to try my hand at writing semi-professionally. Any resemblance of the characters or the story itself to actual people and situations is entirely unintentional and accidental. Please don't sue – I'm only a college student.

**A/N** : This is actually the very first fanfic I'd written, (actually started around a year ago) and it's only now that I've screwed my courage and posted it. I'm still writing the second chapter.

====================

EMERALD SKIES

~prologue~

"Lifestream… Aeris…"

Tifa Lockheart looked at the young man who had whispered the words they had all been thinking of. His eyes were closed, a barely concealed look of intense pain and guilt on his face; the harsh planes of a SOLDIER's body made softer by his unusual boyish looks. Her heart constricted, and her thoughts turned to the brunette who had sacrificed her life to stop Sephiroth and Meteor.

"Holy didn't work… but Lifestream did," Red XIII murmured quietly, watching the green tendrils of light make short work of the huge chunk of rock that had so threatened the Planet. 

"It's Aeris," Cloud spoke suddenly, his voice low but audible enough to startle the team out of their individual musings.

"Cloud?" asked Tifa, confused by his vehemence.

He opened his eyes, but he didn't look at any of them. Tifa wasn't sure, but she thought she saw his glowing eyes glittering with even more intensity than before. She only had a second's look before the sapphire orbs reverted back to their usual mako-induced luminescence. 

"I… I don't know how…" he said slowly, "But I know that Aeris did this. She did it. She has saved the Planet."

No one dared to speak in the silence that followed. They waited for Cloud to explain further, but all he did was to watch the scene below them with that unreadable expression on his face.

Their vantage point on the deck of the Highwind gave them an unparalleled view of the Lifestream's power. The lifeblood of the Planet had seeped out with unimaginable speed from every crack and crevice on the surface of the ground. The ephemeral threads had then combined together to form vast masses of green, and had intercepted Meteor before it had a chance to smash into Midgar. It was now taking the rock apart, breaking and disintegrating it into smaller pieces. It was breath taking – and terrifying, this Lifestream. Watching Meteor crumble now, it was hard to believe that they weren't able to destroy it when they had crashed Rocket no. 26 into it. The huge bulk of Meteor grew smaller and smaller in size, until only large boulders were left, like monstrous chunks of driftwood floating in a vast sea of green.

Amazingly, it had taken only a few minutes for Lifestream to complete its work, even though it seemed like an eternity for the watchers. The last chunks of rock disappeared altogether, and the green threads of the Lifestream started their retreat back into the Planet. 

"Do you think everyone made it out?" Barret asked. He leaned over the railing, peering into the gloom, trying to discern the condition of the metropolis. It was highly unlikely that Midgar had escaped unscathed, for Meteor had struck the top portions of the plate before Lifestream stopped it. That, and the fact that most of the city was now enveloped in thick gray smoke. That was not a good sign.

"No news yet, Cait?" Tifa asked.

"None," the cat mumbled sorrowfully, his ears drooping. "Not a whisper since they arrested Ree—" Cait Sith abruptly straightened, and Mog gave an excited chirp. "Hang on!" A few seconds passed, with much electronic whirring and garbling coming from the toy cat. Finally, Cait spoke again, but not in his squeaky voice. A man's light tenor came through, but it was slightly muffled and unclear due to static and background noise.  

"He—hello? I—anyone—there?"

"Reeve? Reeve, is that you?" Cloud immediately asked. He recognized the voice instantly, remembering it from the time they had infiltrated Shinra tower. How he had known from the garbled voice that the speaker was the Shinra executive-turned-spy, no one in AVALANCHE knew. But they had no time to ask, for Reeve's voice turned slightly frantic and pleading.

"Clou—Cloud Strife? Can't hear—too—static. Damn—terference!" Reeve stopped speaking and they heard what sounded like banging coming from Cait Sith's maw. Cloud chuckled; the cat's expression was too comical – mouth wide open, eyes crossed in bewilderment and chagrin. The others stared with varying levels of amusement on their faces.

"Ah, here we go!" Reeve exclaimed triumphantly. "Sorry 'bout that, I just rigged this transmitter up. And with all the debris lying around…"

Cloud sobered. "Reeve, what's the situation there?" 

"It's a bit chaotic down here, and we can't see too clearly. The air currents disturbed by Lifestream and Meteor must've stirred up the dust…" Reeve paused, then continued with carefully weighed words. "I think… there may be casualties, guys. I was lucky enough to evacuate earlier, but I don't think everyone made it out. Meteor took off a good number of floors from the Shinra tower. And, I'm not really sure, but there seems to be much more damage than there should've been, considering the fact that you were able to stop Meteor…"

"Reeve, what's wrong?" Cloud asked.

Prompted by the firmness in Cloud's tone, Reeve continued a little less hesitantly than before, "The backlash created by the forces of both Lifestream and Meteor destroyed some of the buildings with weak foundations. The other damages… were caused by stray pieces of Meteor."

"How big, exactly, are these stray pieces?"

"Some of the pieces I've seen were the size of big boulders… The biggest I saw was about twenty to thirty meters in diameter."

"Holy shit…" Cid exclaimed.

Reeve's voice had turned pleading again. "We're looking at it from a worst-case scenario basis. I'm helping some of the guys here set up a temporary disaster coordination center of sorts, and we need more volunteers. Umm, can you—"

"No need to ask, Reeve," Cloud interrupted, "We'll be there as soon as we can."

Cait-Reeve gave a huge sigh of relief. "Thanks, guys. I know you're really worn out with the fight against Sephiroth… We'll pay you back somehow, after all this has been cleared. We're at Sector 6 right now; it seems to be the most undamaged area here. I'll give control back to Cait Sith." And with that, Reeve withdrew from the connection.

---ooOOOoo---

Cloud turned to face the rest of AVALANCHE as Cait regained control over his voice. He wasn't sure if his decision went well with the others. Reeve was right; all of them were worn-out from that trip to the bowels of the crater. They were still nursing wounds from their fights with the monsters, Jenova, and Sephiroth, even though they had tried the best they could to heal themselves using materia, and whatever left-over potions they had. 

"Uhh… I hope no one's mad at me…" he began nervously.

Barret looked at him weirdly. "For what?" 

"I volunteered us without consulting any of you. And we're not exactly bouncing with energy right now." Cloud explained.

"Cloud," Tifa said, shaking her head. "You know us better that that. Of course we'll help! It's not like we're going to drop dead any second now, anyway."

"Yeah, and I'd like to get to solid ground as soon as possible. I don't feel too good…" Yuffie added. She _was_ starting to look a little green. Cloud wondered why she hadn't fallen sick when the Highwind was tossed violently out of the crater. If Cid hadn't pulled the emergency boosters, the erupting Lifestream would have torn the craft apart. 

Cid snorted. "There ya go again! The Highwind's stable right now! She's flying smoothly, even though she's damaged." he exclaimed, a bit of pride tinting his voice. "Besides, you were fine when we were thrown out of the crater." he added suspiciously.

"Old man, don't you know what adrenaline is?" Yuffie retorted weakly. "It kept my air-sickness back, and I'm out of the stuff now. And your ship's not stable. It's bobbing in the air, swaying with the wind, and I don't know what else! Urk…" She had turned greener during the exchange and now had both hands clamped over her mouth. She shot Cid one last withering look before rushing from the deck and down the stairway.          

Cid glared at the retreating figure of Yuffie running to the toilet. He gave an exasperated puff of his cigarette before turning back to address Cloud. "I'm going back to the cockpit; those idiots might be screwing up while I'm up here wasting time arguing with the pipsqueak. We'll get to Midgar within ten minutes. And yes, I don't mind helping, as long as they still have stores open. I'm running out of cigs." Cloud heard the pilot mutter, "bobbing in the air, swaying with the wind my ass – how dare she call me an old man" as they watched him disappear into the shadows of the stairwell.

"Ah, well – back to the question at hand," Tifa murmured. "Vincent, Nanaki?" she asked.

"We should help," the great feline rumbled.

"It's not like we have anything else to do, anyway," was the ex-Turk's curt answer.

"So it's decided, then. We're not mad at you for deciding what we've already decided on doing." she deadpanned.

Cloud smiled gratefully. Trust Tifa to try to cheer him up. It worked, though… didn't it? He kept the question to himself, lest the depression – which had snuck up on him while they were watching Lifestream – show up on his face.

/ Why? Why do I feel depressed? I should be happy. It's finally over. No more Meteor, no more Sephiroth… everyone's safe… so why do I feel so sad? /

He realized with a start that Tifa was waiting for him to say something. He was doing exactly what he shouldn't be doing – sliding back into angst mode by thinking those stupid questions. So he quashed them viciously, stashing the depressing thoughts into the less frequented areas of his mind. 

/ Go away. I don't need you right now. /

Only when he was sure that he would be able to speak without giving his internal dialogue away did he address the team. "Sorry, I kind of drifted back there. Don't worry, I was just thinking about stuff." 

Tifa looked worried. "You sure? You look kind of pale."

"Yes, I'm fine. At any rate, we should try to relax while we still can. Around ten minutes, Cid said. We should go down to the cockpit to see how they're doing."

---ooOOOoo---

Cloud's suggestion proved to be the right means of distraction. Any lingering doubts about his state of mind were forgotten as soon as they reached the cockpit. The room was a flurry of activity, crew members running around, frantically working at the controls, and Cid at the center of it all, bellowing orders at the top of his lungs.      

The airship appeared undamaged at first glance, but now that the initial crises are over, and more attention was being paid to the state of the craft, the crew was able to assess the damages more carefully, and more systematically. They discovered that the Highwind had sustained several minor damages, not that dangerous, but still alarming. It was – on some levels – luck that had kept the airship flying. 

They weren't that far from Midgar, only a few kilometers on foot, to be exact; but Cid wasn't taking chances with the Highwind damaged, even if the said damages were only minor. He took infinite care in finding an appropriate landing area on the plains surrounding the city. He also took a lot of time in landing the aircraft.

Yuffie complained about all the hassle Cid had to go through just to land. ("We could've landed much sooner if you weren't so slow!") In return, he stated casually that hurried landings were usually turbulent. That reminder shut her up effectively.

Cid began to shout more orders as soon as they alighted. Obviously he wanted the Highwind repaired as soon as possible. The crew complied promptly, going through the procedures necessary in long periods of inactivity. They also brought the team's chocobos out from the airship's stables. The birds pranced about, eager to set off on firm ground after being cooped up in the Highwind's small stables for so long.

After a moment of deliberation, Cid and Vincent decided to stay behind. The rest of the team headed for the city gates, dragging along a crewmember, who was tasked to take charge of the crew's shopping lists. Reeve must have seen the Highwind land, for the Sector 6 gates were open, and several people were milling around, apparently waiting for them. 

From afar Midgar didn't seem that damaged. The Highwind's landing had blown some of the dust and smoke away. They could see a few cracks here, some crumbled edges there. The most noticeably damaged area of the city was the top of the plate. Cloud thought that it was a bit ironic that what was once considered a luxury now turned out to be a danger to the occupant's lives. The plate actually protected the slums situated below it. Barret mentioned this out loud and added that although he hated the financially privileged for living there and contributing to Midgar's downfall, he didn't want anyone harmed.

Only when they had reached the deeper levels of the city did damages manifest themselves clearly. Some buildings were in a state of disarray; the tops of the taller ones looked like they've been knocked off by some giant's hand. But it wasn't the worst-case scenario Reeve had described it to be. True; there were several chunks of rock lying around, which looked like they had dropped down out of nowhere; but they weren't large enough to cause buildings to collapse. Cloud started to entertain the notion that Reeve wanted them for purposes other than emergency rescues…

They arrived at the Sector 6 slums with more fanfare than Cloud had wanted, which confirmed some of his growing suspicions. There were several people milling in the streets, some white with the dust and debris, and most of them were greeting the team, cheering them on, hailing them as "the Planet's saviors". Reeve met them in front of one of the larger houses, and acted sheepish and a bit repentant when Tifa demanded an explanation.

"They wanted to see you guys. Believe it or not, even with Shinra's bulletins about how 'evil' AVALANCHE is, most of the bottom plate dwellers believed otherwise. And they're been following your activities for the past few months." He explained.

"The past few months?" Cloud muttered, embarrassed and dismayed at all the attention being paid to them.

"You could have told us the truth, Reeve." Tifa countered disapprovingly.

"I'm really sorry, but I couldn't think of any other way. I thought that you might try to avoid the limelight…"

"Hey, being famous isn't all that bad," Yuffie chirped from the side, where some eager materia sellers were showing her their wares. "These guys said they'd give us a fifty percent discount on all their materia!"

"Yuffie!" Tifa scolded, "Shame on you! Don't take advantage!"

"I'm not! I'm giving them my professional opinion!"

Barret snorted in disbelief. Cait rolled his eyes; at least to Cloud, he looked like he was rolling his eyes.

"Let's give her a break, guys. It's not like she didn't earn it anyway," he said. "In fact, we all earned a break…"

Cloud wasn't serious when he said that last statement; he had said it out of jest and goodwill to his teammates, but those nearest to him took it to heart and sprang immediately into a barrage of questions and offers. 

"Sir! Would you like to rest? You can stay at my inn, free of charge!"

"You must be hungry! We can get you food and drink–"

"My house is nearest! Granted, it ain't a mansion and all–"

"We'll prepare a feast–"

"Umm…" Cloud looked lost, and astonished at the way the slum dwellers were treating them. He didn't even know any of their names, just a few familiar faces. When needed, he could lead admirably, but he wasn't used to fame and attention from complete strangers. His traumatic childhood, then the rejection from the SOLDIER program, and lastly five years of living hell under Hojo's ministrations had ensured that his social graces bordered on the anti-social.

Seeing his discomfort, Tifa quickly took over. She was, after all, a daughter of a mayor, and certainly didn't lack in skills needed in public relations.

"Don't worry," she said, addressing the crowd, "we're not that tired yet. We're AVALANCHE, remember? And came here to help, but before that, we need to talk to Reeve. Any place quiet where we can do so?" she asked the executive.

"Ah, in here–" he gestured behind him at the two-story building. "You sure you don't want to rest first?"

"Nah," Barret grunted. "Some food'll be fine, though. Haven't eaten a full meal since that damned Meteor got here…"

---ooOOOoo---

A few minutes later they were seated comfortably on old spindly chairs around a small coffee table. Cloud feared that Barret's chair might collapse under his bulk, and Yuffie had pointed that concern out, earning a glare from the black man. He disproved them all by sitting heavily on the furniture, causing it to creak in protest. Surprisingly, it held under his weight. Red XIII opted to sit on the floor beside Cloud's chair, while Cait moved to stand behind the space occupied by his creator. They were in a small room at the back of the first floor of the building, which turned out to be a modest inn, rooms at the second floor and a small restaurant at the first.

Cloud looked around at the room. It was decorated sparingly, plain, whitewashed walls adorned with two small paintings. Looking closer, he realized that they were actually shots of the Shinra tower while it was still whole and standing. His stomach gave a funny flop. 

/ We've come a long way… It's over – really, fully, finally over… /

Almost a year had passed since the first time they infiltrated the Shinra building and rescued Aeris from Hojo's clutches. Now, sitting in this bland room, it was hard to believe that what they had gone through wasn't just a dream. Already, memories of the last battle were fading from their minds, and Cloud found it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. He dearly wanted to fall asleep right there and then. They've been fighting for months on end, oftentimes forsaking comfort to avoid danger, and it seemed that his body had started to shut down all by itself at the first feeling of security and safety. 

/ I guess I _am_ a bit tired… /

Dimly he realized that they weren't the only ones in the room. Some of the slum dwellers, who looked quite important despite their scruffy and ragtag appearances had followed them into the room. Cloud guessed that they must be the leaders among the civilians. And aside from Reeve, three more men were dressed in rumpled suits, looking none the worse for wear compared to their motley group. How all of them managed to fit in the tiny room, he couldn't even begin to guess.

/ Okay, more than a bit tired… A few hours of sleep should cure that… but not now, though… /

Reeve had begun to speak in a semi-formal tone, but Cloud could see that he was excited about something. He was bewildered that someone could look so grave and yet at the same time seem like a kid trying to contain his excitement at seeing a pile of gifts right in front of him. He tried to hold his exhaustion back and listened to the executive politely.

/ Damage reports… casualties… nothing to get excited over. So why's he all hyped up? /

Despite his best efforts, Cloud nearly fell asleep a couple of times. After he found himself nodding off for the third time, he shook his head, gave up trying to make sense of Reeve's proposed rebuilding projects for this and that, and went back to his musings, looking alert on the outside, but in truth completely ignoring everything around him. He had been doing that pretty often as of late, shutting himself off from the world as he sifted through muddled memories and scattered thoughts. In fact, he was so out of it that he didn't hear a word of what anyone was saying for the next few minutes, until his ears notified him to the utter lack of sound at one point in the conversation.

For some reason, everyone was staring at him.

/ What? /

Reeve had obviously aimed a question, or a statement, at him. And he wasn't listening.

"I'm sorry, but what was that again?" he asked blandly.

Reeve, mistaking his flat tone and blank look for disbelief or incredulity, repeated simply, "We'd like you to be the new mayor of Midgar."

This time, the cluelessness in Cloud's tone wasn't due to ignorance. He was undeniably and unquestionably shocked.

"What!?"

All those not in AVALANCHE cringed back at the tone of voice he used, which Cloud in his surprise failed to moderate. He sounded furious to those who didn't know him personally. He noticed their reactions, and berating himself for scaring them, spoke again in a more even tone.

"I'm sorry – you surprised me, Reeve. But what made you propose something like that? You've been with us long enough to know the things I'm good at. I'd make a terrible mayor! What happened to Domino, anyway?"

"Resigned – says he prefers being a librarian. So we're now looking for a new leader, and everyone agreed to this. They _want you as their mayor, Cloud! And why wouldn't you make a good mayor? You're a great leader!" Reeve exclaimed, a bit flustered that the blonde would refuse._

"I'm flattered that you would say that, Reeve, but it depends on the situation. I can advise you if you need guerilla tactics; and I'm crazy enough to willingly agree to lead a bunch of equally crazy people (Yuffie: Hey!) on a semi-impossible quest to defeat a madman claiming to be a god; but I know next to nothing on running a city."

"He's right." Cait Sith interjected from behind Reeve.

"Thanks," Cloud said dryly.

"No, I'm serious, Cloud. I don't think I'll ever be able to imagine you wearing a suit and sitting still behind a desk. You'd be bouncing around the office five minutes into your term!"

"He's right!" Yuffie chimed.

"Spike wearing a tux. Now that I gotta see." Barret said.

"A suit and a tux are two different things, Barret." Tifa corrected.

"They're all the same," Barret argued, "My point is, can you picture him wearing anything not combat-related?" 

"Umm… I can try…" Tifa replied slowly.

"What is this, 'bash caveman-Cloud day'?" Cloud muttered.

"Ahh…" Reeve sputtered, for the meantime forgotten as AVALANCHE proceeded to bicker about their leader's supposed "uncivilized" mannerisms.

"Forget bouncing around, Cloud'll probably leave the office in smoldering ruins when he gets bored. Maybe tear up the whole building, even!"

"Cait Sith, I do not think that it is possible to demolish a whole building with only a pair of hands."

"Red, he doesn't need to. He's got a mastered Ultima _and_ a mastered KOR! They're the most kick-ass materia we've got! Now that Sephiroth's dead, I'll never get a chance to try them out…"

"Oh, stop whining, Yuffie. Cloud gave most of our summons to you."

"I know, but… Knights of the Round Table! I wanna have a go at least once…"

"Pipsqueak like you can't handle a mastered Knights of the Round, you'll get blown to bits!"

"Then I suppose your skill in magic is enough to handle KOR, then?" At this Barret's face slowly turned crimson. The large man was a valuable ally in battle, and his gunarm was a deadly weapon, but everyone knew that he'd rather not rely on materia and spells. They were all adept at magic, but that aspect of the battle was usually left to Aeris, Cloud, or Nanaki.

Cloud groaned inwardly. At any other time watching Yuffie and Barret's verbal spars would have been amusing, but he'd rather not have anyone yelling in close proximity right now. His head, which had only been feeling heavy minutes ago, was now playing host to a brewing headache.

"Stuff it, guys," he said wearily. "Have a go at round two later if you want, but we have more pressing matters to deal with right now." AVALANCHE immediately quieted down. Cloud might not have known, but his voice, quiet it may be, held a commanding quality that had the power to persuade even the most stubborn of bodies to obey.

"And Reeve," Cloud said suddenly, raising an admonishing finger – for he had seen the determined glint in the executive's eyes at his latest show of authority, "before you start again on my leadership skills, hear me out first. I'm truly flattered and grateful that everyone would think of me in such good terms, but I simply can't accept this post. Sure, I can handle it, but Midgar will never prosper under me. I don't have the knowledge."

"And don't think of palming the office off to anyone else, either," he added, plunging on so that the flabbergasted Reeve wouldn't be able to think of a suitable argument, "Each one of us in AVALANCHE are leaders by our own rights: Tifa's dad is the mayor of Nibelheim; Yuffie's is the chief of Wutai; Red is Cosmo Canyon's protector; and Barret once lead Corel. Vincent used to be a Turk, and Cid, the Highwind's head pilot, can be considered Rocket Town's unofficial leader. Even Cait can lead when needed. But we're not suited to lead as large a metropolis as Midgar."

"What's your point, then?" Reeve asked weakly.

"My point is: I stand on my original offer. I agree – no, promise to help restore Midgar, but now with one and only one condition," Cloud's finger, which only moments ago was pointed upwards, now angled downwards to jab at Reeve. "YOU be the mayor of Midgar."

"I… What?!?"

A few seconds passed before anyone spoke. Cloud noticed to his satisfaction that only Reeve and some of the civilians were dumbfounded. The rest had looks of comprehension on their faces. Reeve's companions even appeared pleased at his suggestion.

"Now why didn't we think of that?"

"Yes, Reeve would be perfect for the job!"

"B-but–" Reeve's attempt at protest was cut off short. Cloud was in no mood for needless negotiations.

"No buts Reeve. You're the most capable here. You used to be head of urban development in Shinra, if I'm not mistaken. And besides, you heard me. I'll leave as soon as you say no. I think AVALANCHE will agree with my choice."

"But… I can't…"

"Don't think for a moment that you can't handle it, Reeve. You have the knowledge, you have the ability, and you have the support of everyone who wants Midgar back on its feet. You certainly don't lack in compassion and dedication, either. Your being with us even at the risk of being caught is proof of that. You only need guts, which I would be very happy to infect you with." Cloud said, grinning impishly at the last sentence.

"You make it sound like it's contagious or something," Yuffie said, wrinkling her nose.

Tifa frowned at Yuffie disapprovingly before adding her two cents. "We'll vouch for you Reeve, if you're worried that other people might not accept you," she said encouragingly. "Anyone who disagrees will have to put up with us annoying the hell out of them until they say yes."

"What do you say?" Cloud asked, addressing the civilians who were looking on bemusedly.

"Well, if AVALANCHE says he'll make a good mayor, then he'll make a good mayor!" 

"I dunno… y'all sure he'll do good?"

" 'Course he'll make a good mayor! Hell, even Cloud Strife's recommendin' him!"

"Yeah, if Mr. Cloud Strife says he's good, then he must be good!"

"Reeve, at least, looks the part."

Silence.

"What?" Yuffie asked, "What did I say?"

"Bloody hell." Cloud muttered.

---ooOOOoo---

In the end a very flattered Reeve finally accepted the office, although it took a lot of convincing and cajoling to make him finally agree. At one point Cloud even thought of resorting to force – his headache had become that bad. It was a good thing Cid remained behind; things would have become downright messy had expletive-prone pilot tagged along.

Reeve was declared the new mayor of Midgar in an impromptu appointment ceremony. In his speech he thanked AVALANCHE for their deeds and actions in the past year. He even came up with plaques of appreciation, which he awarded to the team members in front of a sizable crowd. Cloud gave up trying to figure out how and why things had been going the way they have and instead concentrated on not getting knocked out by his headache. A party in celebration of the destruction of Meteor had started in some of the wider streets and the revelers all but forced AVALANCHE into joining the merrymaking after the appointment ceremony. The others stayed at least a few minutes, Yuffie even boldly participating in a couple of raucous games. Only Cloud politely, but firmly refused the offers and went off in search of an inn. Finding all the inns fully packed with merrymakers and fearing that someone might recognize him, he steered clear of each one and went back to the building where their meeting was held.  Thankfully, the back room was relatively isolated. Cloud plopped down on the most comfortable chair available and promptly went to sleep.

The next morning found the party still going on at full swing; but some of the revelers, endowed with less stamina than their more hyperactive companions, had retired when they could no longer stay awake, leaving Midgar to slowly resume its more-or-less normal routine. More-or-less, for Reeve proved to be an able leader, despite his initial misgivings. The noise of the post-Meteor celebrations was soon replaced by that of activity and construction. Reeve lost no time in marshalling the manpower and resources needed for the rebuilding of the huge metropolis. His first task was the dismantling of the reactors and the city plate, or rather, what was left of the plate. And for some reason, he thought that AVALANCHE should do the honors of getting rid of the reactors.

"Wha–? Reeve, doesn't Shinra have experts on mako reactors? Why are you asking us all of a sudden?" Cloud exclaimed when the team was faced with the request.

 Taken aback by the sudden question, Reeve wasn't able to come up with a satisfactory reason. "Umm… well… because… you're AVALANCHE?" he sputtered.

"Is this because we started out as guerrillas bent on blowing up all the reactors on the Planet?"

"And very nearly succeeded," Barret muttered.

"Reeve, take note, the key word here is 'blow up' – in the literal sense. I can't just pull out a random materia and then use it to trash the reactors!" said Cloud.

"Why not?" Yuffie asked, grinning devilishly.

"Yuffie, for the last time, I am _not_ letting you use KOR unless it is absolutely necessary!"

"But Cloud–"

"You'll get your chance, Yuffie, but not right now. And you know as well as any of us that using materia needlessly causes more harm than good. You're more responsible than that."

"Okay, okay…" Yuffie groused. "You didn't have to skin me alive…"

"I love you Yuffie, we all do," Cloud said absent-mindedly, reaching out to ruffle the ninja's hair. Yuffie grinned at him cheekily, all pretenses of grousing gone. Cloud pondered briefly at her reaction before speaking again. "Where was I again?" he asked confusedly.

"The reactors?" Tifa supplied helpfully.

"Oh, yeah. Reeve, just send people familiar with the reactors to turn the cores off then move the demolition teams in. It's not that hard."

"Umm…"

"What?" Cloud asked exasperatedly.

"That's the problem. We can't find _any_ of our reactor experts. It's like they just all decided to disappear! We didn't find their bodies in the Shinra tower debris, either."

"Really?" Cloud frowned. "Don't you find it odd that they all just took off right after the Meteor incident?"

Reeve shrugged helplessly. "I could've sent people to investigate, but right now we don't have the time _or_ the manpower to do so…"

A voice at the very back of Cloud's mind was nagging that the disappearance of the mako experts was something they should be paying attention to more than the reconstruction of Midgar, but he couldn't very well just go off looking for them without arousing suspicion and panic – by that time almost everyone knew what mako can do in the hands of people like the late president Shinra, thanks to Reeve's public relations efforts. So he filed that task away in his mental to-do list. It will be one of the first things he'll see to once things calmed down a bit.

/ Nothing is ever easy. / He thought, running a hand through his hair as he started planning what to do. / The sooner we shut all active reactors down, the better. I'm the only one who knows how to do this properly, so… /

"Vincent, do you think you can find your way around a reactor without me?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes. But I'm not that adept at shutting the core reactors down." The ex-Turk answered evenly. He didn't seem fazed by the sudden query the blonde threw at him, whereas most of the people in the room were looking at Cloud confusedly. 

"Alright, here's what we're going to do. We're splitting into three teams. That way we'll cover more reactors in a shorter amount of time. Vincent will be heading one team. Cid and Yuffie will be going with him. Barret – you know a bit about reactors, right?"

"Wasn't the first AVALANCHE head for nothing, punk." Barret grumbled. To the casual listener, the man sounded bitter, but Cloud knew better. Barret himself had acknowledged Cloud's authority many times in the past, and it was just his own gruff way of showing his respect for the SOLDIER.

"Second team will comprise of Barret, Reeve and Cait. Reeve, bring some of your spare men along. I want you to learn the layout and mechanics of mako reactor cores as soon as possible." The latter two commands were stated so quickly that the new mayor didn't have time to argue or protest.

"Last team will be Tifa, Red and me. We'll go together on the first trip, and I'll show you how to turn the cores off. You'll each have to watch carefully; consider this a crash course on mako reactors. After that, we'll split into our teams." Cloud then turned to the waiting civilians. "I assume that some of you might want to tag along. I won't stop you, but I highly advise against it. The last time we entered a reactor, we reemerged with all our ammo spent and our weapons reeking of blood. If you still want to come along, bring something to defend yourselves with."

While the civilian leaders conversed amongst themselves, Cloud addressed AVALANCHE with the same serious tone. "Not that I'm turning this into a full-blown mission or anything, but we should be prepared, specially when I've split us into three. Now's a good time as any to clean the reactors of any remaining monsters. Anyway, we'll have to do it eventually, if we're to avoid any casualties when the demolition teams move in."

"Great!" Yuffie said brightly. "I've been itching to kick some ass lately," she added, fingering Conformer.

"Same here. You don't have to worry about us, Spike. We survived the Crater, didn't we?" said Cid, grounding his cigarette on the already-full ashtray.

On the floor, Red XIII bared his gleaming fangs in a feral smile.

Reeve finally found his voice. "Cloud. I don't think –"

"You'll be okay, Reeve. You do know how to fire a gun, don't you?" he asked, indicating the barely-visible handle of a revolver peeking from under Reeve's suit.

"Yes, b-but I'm not the fighting type…"

"Well, I'm teaching you how to be one." Cloud said, clapping the flabbergasted man on his back. "And trust me when I say that you'll be able to learn a thing or two about leadership while you're at it. You have Cait on AI?" He'd noticed the electronic mog and cat duo helping out in the construction even while Reeve was only a few meters away, without any remote controls in sight.

"Yes."

"Alright. We leave in an hour. Use the time to prepare."

An hour and thirty minutes later they left for one of the still operational reactors nearest the sector 6 slums. Their motley group consisted of the original AVALANCHE team, Reeve and three of his assistants – all four looking grim and nervous – and three of the civilian leaders, who had insisted on coming along despite Cloud's warning. They seemed well armed, so Cloud didn't say anything else to persuade them to not go with them.

Any misgivings Cloud might have had were diffused, as the "crash course" went better than he'd thought it would. They did encounter a few of the mako-tainted creatures, but all were quickly and effectively dispatched without hassle. His companions were more than willing to be attentive audiences as they stopped periodically to listen to Cloud explain the general layout and sections of a mako reactor. After he'd shut down the core, with many elaborations on the processes to go through, they divided into the three groups agreed upon and proceeded to give the reactor a fine-toothed comb. Cloud wanted to make sure that there were no more monsters lurking in the corners of the reactor.

A few hours later they emerged unscathed, with one more deactivated reactor on their records. Only Reeve was looking a bit flustered, but anyone who'd seen him enter the reactor could say that he now looked more confident and surer of himself. Cloud had ordered Barret to personally make sure that the executive kill at least five of the mako creatures before exiting the reactor. Barret had gladly risen to the challenge, even going as far as leaving the more difficult monsters alive for Reeve to dispose of. Of course, he had been ready to step in should Reeve find his hands too full, but there had been no need to do so – proving to everyone, and most of all to Reeve himself, that he was already a genuine AVALANCHE member, even if he hadn't been present for the whole duration of their mission.

This went on for the next few days, each team setting out and shutting down their chosen reactor.  Cloud left them to do their jobs alone; he had full confidence that they already knew what to do. They worked on the Midgar reactors first, but after they were finished they moved out to the outlying reactors. Cid was only too happy to show the Highwind off. After each shutdown operation Reeve would give the go-signal for the demolition teams to dismantle the reactors. The scrap – and there was a lot of it – would be used in the rebuilding of the metropolis, and any extras are to be sent to the still-developing areas, such as North Corel, Gongaga, and the recently-demolished Mideel.

Needless to say, everyone was relieved to see the reactors go; Barret and Tifa were especially ecstatic, since the destruction of all the mako reactors on the Planet had been AVALANCHE's original motive. They would all have to rely on other sources of energy from now on, but knowing that the Planet wouldn't be in any more danger was worth it. Besides, Reeve had already drawn up plans for alternative energy sources research – he wanted to focus on solar and wind energy, but other options were also to be considered.

The rebuilding of Midgar went on without too many major problems, but it was a massive task. Without the plate, they would have to expand on level ground, and the outskirts of Midgar was a veritable wasteland, nearly uninhabitable and full of annoying creatures and mutations from all the pollution. They had to clean several square kilometers of the land first – and exterminate any of the monsters that proved to be hostile and dangerous. This was where AVALANCHE figured into the equation. For weeks on end they were kept busy with reports from all over the countryside. The task of killing wasn't difficult, but there were so many of the critters that sometimes they had to go out alone or in pairs just to make sure that an AVALANCHE member would always be on hand for any emergencies.

Around three months later things started to level off. The monster sightings had become rare and few in between that Reeve had decided that it was safe to go around with only light protection. It was during that lull that AVALANCHE started to part ways. Red XIII was the first to leave. He had to go back, as he was Cosmo Canyon's protector. The Elders had even sent messengers requesting for his return. But the gentle feline had become quite endeared to the slum dwellers – especially the children – that many were sad to see him go. Red had to remind them that he would always be ready to come at a moment's notice, as each ALAVANCHE member had PHSs to communicate with.

A week later Barret announced his intention to go back to Corel. He had decided to do whatever it took to pull his hometown back to its feet. Of course, he had waited until he could see that his help wouldn't be needed anymore. He knew that Midgar was in good hands with Reeve, and it seemed that Cloud wasn't planning to leave anytime soon. Before he left Reeve gave him the papers to a third of Shinra's remaining funds – they had been using the company's vast resources in the reconstruction. Barret had adamantly refused at first – until Reeve threatened him with his gun, upon which the large man immediately clammed up and accepted the papers without protest. It was common knowledge that the executive had become quite the sharpshooter – almost as good as, if not better, than Vincent himself. And Cloud had been correct in his belief that learning how to fight would give the executive a backbone; Reeve could now be as "persuasive" as the blonde if he needed to be. Marlene and Elmyra went with him. The budding relationship Barret had with the latter hadn't gone unnoticed, but all of them were surprised, nonetheless, when she announced that she would be going with him. This left Cloud and Tifa to look after the house she and Aeris had lived in over the past years.

Next to leave were Yuffie and Vincent, three weeks later. Like Barret, Yuffie had plans for her birthplace, but her job would be much easier since she already had authority among the leading clans, and Wutai had sufficient funds garnered from tourism and trade. Vincent's decision had come as the surprise for this departure. Everyone had assumed that he would either stay in Midgar or go with Cid, but no one had expected him to voluntarily decide to go with the ninja. But now that Cloud thought about it, those two had become exceedingly close the past two months… Well, bully to Godo, then. If Cloud knew Yuffie, the old Wutai chief can expect to see grandchildren anytime now. As his parting gift Cloud gave Yuffie one of her most coveted materia – a Knights of the Round. But it was still unmastered; in fact, it was the one his own mastered KOR had spawned. Yuffie would have to work on it to bring it up to par with Cloud's, but she was still ecstatic, nonetheless.

Last to go was Cid, but before the pilot left, he asked Cloud to help him with an unusual, but oddly satisfying task – shopping for an engagement ring. Cloud agreed immediately, and promptly took a few hours off to accompany the flustered pilot around the newly established shopping district, formerly the seedy Wall Market. One would think it strange to see two men going through display cases full of jewelry, but Cloud had surprisingly excellent taste, and Cid was able to purchase the ring of his choice. Cloud had no need to ask for whom the ring was; he just wished Cid good luck in proposing to Shera – whereupon the pilot immediately flushed a bright shade of scarlet.

At first Cid wanted to leave the Highwind for Reeve to use. He reasoned that they might still need transportation. The executive refused, though, and ordered Cid to take the aircraft and her crew members back to Rocket Town. He knew that Cid loved the Highwind as if it were his own child, and that it would pain the pilot to leave it in Midgar. And Reeve had another motive in wanting the airship to remain in Cid's hands: air transportation research. He didn't tell Cid of his plans to appoint the pilot as the head of the soon-to-be created air transportation department yet, though, as he had heard from Cloud that Cid had decided to ask Shera to marry him. Better give the man a break. And Reeve had no desire to see the Venus Gospel near his anatomy any time soon. Yup, best leave the pilot alone for the meantime…

So that left Cloud, Tifa, and Cait Sith from the original AVALANCHE team. Cait, of course, was going nowhere. Cloud didn't think it possible, but it seemed that the electronic cat had been infected with Reeve's newfound zeal, which bordered nearly on the workaholic level. Everywhere Reeve went, you'll find Cait only a few paces behind, either enthusiastically performing a task assigned to him, or helpfully seeking out jobs to accomplish. Cloud had often wondered if Reeve had done anything to reprogram Cait's circuitry, but the executive always denied doing so whenever he asked. Then again, Cait hadn't changed a bit, aside from his increasing diligence, so Reeve must be telling the truth.

Five months after the constructions started Reeve changed the city's name to New Midgar City, in lieu of everything that had happened to cause the city to change so drastically. Midgar used to be a gloomy, polluted metropolis, and this could be seen all the more clearly from an aerial view. The sky over its metal towers always seemed darker than in uncorrupted areas. Now, it was still a bit overcast, but at least the view-marring plate was gone, and so were the black pillars of smoke that seemed to stream on forever back when the reactors were still active. The piles of refuse and junk were nowhere to be seen, having been cleaned up long before Reeve started on his expansion projects. Rows of gleaming new houses now stood on where the dilapidated slum dwellings used to be. Of course, the houses were given to the citizens free of charge, as a sort of compensation for years of oppression under the old Shinra company's rule.

The city itself was divided into several districts; the residential, commercial, and industrial districts were the main sectors. Reeve had his office in the commercial district, where he directed most of his operations. The commercial sector was also home to the shopping district, with its stores relocated from all parts of the city, and other offices and establishments. Plans to build a school – elementary and university – have been approved, but the old Shinra academy will still remain open, for there will always be those who prefer the military path. Only, Reeve had requested for a restructuring of its academic programs to gravitate more towards law enforcement, and changed the school's name into Midgar Military Academy.

The industrial district remained unoccupied at the start, but it accounted for a fifth of the city's total land area. Apparently Reeve had been thinking ahead; he planned on opening several factories on the site in the near future. Of course, strict controls would be observed; any operation that indicated even the slightest possibility of pollution was to be stopped and put up for review immediately. Some might say that they were being overly paranoid with regards to their environment, but it can't be helped; they owed the Planet that much.

The weddings came three weeks after Cid left. He and Shera were married in Rocket Town, with much publicity and celebration, to the former's chagrin and embarrassment. It was to be expected, since he was, and still is, a member of AVALANCHE. Rocket Town, already booming under Cid's unofficial direction, earned even more revenue that day since many people, even from as far as Mideel, had come to watch the wedding.

The same thing happened in Wutai, several days later, when Godo announced that Yuffie was to succeed him right after the wedding ceremony. Cloud had heard rumors that the preparations had taken longer because Vincent had had to prove his worth to the old Wutai chief, who stubbornly refused to acknowledge the word 'husband' and insisted on 'consort', "as befitting his heir's suitor", he had said. Not that anyone had taken the differences between the terms that seriously.

Tifa, by that time had opened another bar in Midgar, this time calling it Final Heaven. Since she had more funds to burn it was larger and savvier than the 7th Heaven, and by standards it could even be considered a restaurant with a cocktail bar.

Cloud, on the other hand, was still working non-stop. Everyone knew that he was New Midgar's unofficial vice-mayor, and Reeve's direct assistant in all administrative matters. He denied it, though, whenever anyone pointed out that they should just appoint him to the position he had unconsciously assumed.

By that time everyone had been waiting for news of Cloud and Tifa's engagement, but for some reason, both stayed curiously silent. They remained friends, of course, visiting each other constantly. Cloud was a frequent customer at the Final Heaven, while Tifa could be counted on to help whenever Cloud needed an extra hand at work. But other than their close-friends relationship, no other, more incriminating evidence of love between the two could be seen.

In this way ten months passed by, not exactly quietly, but peacefully. Of that everyone was certain. No more psychotic maniacs with seven-foot long swords popping up to murder presidents, no more hundred-feet high super Weapons raging whole villages to the ground, and no more boulders the size of football fields in the sky threatening to drop on everyone's heads. Everyone started to believe that things would be better from then on; all the towns were back on their feet, and were flourishing with the newly established trade routes running along the four main continents. It was as if everything had been reborn; everyone was getting back on his or her life with renewed zeal. Of course, that was what everyone believed. No one had expected the Fates to be more cruel than kind. For Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE, their ten months' time of peace was to be the proverbial eye within the storm.

The other half of the storm was coming.

--- end of prologue ---

notes:

1. First of all, a big thank-you to Chris for helping me out (especially with the titles) and being patient enough to read the stuff I've written. The second word of gratitude goes out to the members of the SephiLovesCloud ml. They were the ones who influenced me to write this fic. (that a good thing or a bad thing, is up to you to decide ^^ )

2. Text enclosed in / / mean the character's thoughts. If it's too confusing, let me know so I can change the format to something more readable.

3. That bit about Cloud saying that he loves Yuffie… he does, but only as a baby sister of sorts. Just clearing that up before anyone gets any weird ideas. Yuffie, on the other hand, might have loved him that way, but the feeling only developed because she looks up to him in this fic. Don't worry, as I've written, she ends up with Vinnie. :)

4. If anyone seems too ooc, or if the writing style sounds… off, at some parts, it's only because this was written a year ago, and my writing style then was lighter than it is now. I tend to employ a Ludlum-esque style, as of the moment. I'm also more of an angst / dark fic person.


	2. chapter 2

**Title** : Emerald Skies

**Author** : lynlyn

**Author email** : cloud121383@yahoo.com

**Warnings** : Here is where I warn off readers who can't take _yaoi_. The main pairing here is Sephiroth / Cloud, though that bit will be coming much, much later, after quite a few chapters of character and plot development. If you're open-minded, and like action and adventure, then well and good, but if you don't like romance between two guys, then skip the mushy chapters, or don't read at all. This fic takes off right after the game, and will seem a bit confusing to those who don't know much about the characters' pasts.

**Summary** : They say that dreams are expressions of our subconscious desires…

**Rating** : PG-13 for adult themes, swearing, and a bit of violence. The rating might go up in later chapters, though.

**Disclaimer** : I do not own Final Fantasy 7, its characters, or anything associated with it. The sword Silfolion and anything related to the anime Groove Adventure Rave belongs to its creator and the studio responsible for animating it. I'm not writing this for profit; I'm only doing so for personal satisfaction, plus the fact that I want to try my hand at writing semi-professionally. Any resemblance of the characters or the story itself to actual people and situations is entirely unintentional and accidental. Please don't sue – I'm only a college student.

**A/N** : This chapter is very, very late. So late, in fact, that I don't have any excuse.

====================

EMERALD SKIES

~chapter 1~

Darkness, all around him – encompassing, traversing…

**_Where am I?_**

Darkness in front, at the back, above him, even below. Was there even a floor? What was he standing on…?

**_What am I doing here?_**

Silence. Silence so complete it was deafening. Everything was still, suspended in time, all movement stopped, animation forbidden.

**_It's… I can't see in front of me… so dark…_**

He turned his upper body around, twisting it to the right, then to the left, looking for anything that could point to where he was. He held out his hands… hands?

Nothing. There was nothing in front of him. He could feel his hands, could sense himself holding them up in front of him, but they weren't there. He looked down. His body wasn't there.

**_What in hell…?_**

Only blackness, stretching as far as his non-existent eyes could see.

**_Nothing…_**

No! He was right there! He was standing… on _something_… and he was looking around…

**_I'm… dreaming?_**

That's it. He was probably dreaming… Though he didn't remember falling asleep…

**_This is weird…_**

He looked down again. He knew he was standing on something solid. He wasn't free-falling, wasn't he? But where the hell is the floor?! 

He reached down… and touched nothing. His hands – his invisible hands – passed through where he assumed his equally invisible feet were and down below.

**_Okaaay… no floor…_**

Should he walk? He hadn't moved ever since waking up to this black landscape. What if he was standing on the only patch of invisible, solid ground available there, and he stepped out of the circle of invisible ground?

**_Duuh… I'll fall, of course…_**

He looked around once more, invisible eyes squinting, narrowing, trying to see through the darkness pressing onto him.

**_This is getting really freaky… Hello? … Anyone here?_**

Silence. Not even an echo. No surprise there. The darkness had swallowed up his shouted query as effortlessly as an ocean would a capsized boat. Would he be swallowed up, too, if he fell?

Maybe. Maybe not. If this was really a dream, then nothing should happen to his real body even if Bahamut himself appeared and toasted his dream self to cinders.

**_I dunno… this all seems pretty real to me…_**

He finally decided, after a few more moments of thinking.

**_Fuck the darkness. I can't just stay here forever…_**

He took a step forward. Tentatively, hesitantly, gingerly feeling for an obviously non-existent foothold…

When nothing happened, he took another step. Then another. And another. And he whirled around in surprise as the still dreamscape started to change.

His walking must have triggered it. There was no other explanation… concentric circles were rippling here and there, disturbances on the black surface caused by unseen drops of rain… But it wasn't raining. And the floor… Was he standing on water?

Water… that looked vaguely familiar. The ripples were green. No, not just the ripples. Everything was suddenly taking on a dark greenish hue.

**_The Lifestream… this feels like the Lifestream…_**

And where there was nothing before, there was something now. He was not sure what… But there was now a distinguishable hemisphere dividing the black "sky" and the equally greenish-black quasi-floor dotted with the glowing green ripples.

**_Why do I always get the weird dreams?_**

And his body was visible again. It was still too dark to see colors, but he could see the outlines of his hands.

He started to walk again, slowly, looking around and at everything through a green haze. Each time his feet hit the "floor" more ripples were formed, giving the impression that he _was_ walking on water. This disturbed him at first; it seemed that anytime now he might suddenly slip through and sink into the inky blackness, but after awhile – and nothing happened except for the sporadic circles appearing randomly all around him, he began to relax.

He walked. And walked. And lost track of time. And walked until it seemed that he'd been walking in the damned dreamscape for what seemed to be an eternity. He didn't mind walking – it gave him something to do, at the very least, but it became increasingly monotonous. The same rippling in the same black-green water, all around him. He hadn't made any headway at all, in the past hours – minutes? – of walking. And, he realized that he didn't have a destination in mind. Nothing had happened to at least give him an idea of where to go.

**_Ugh, is there even such a thing as "somewhere" here? For all I know, I could be the only thing besides Lifestream-y water and green ripples around here…_**

He tried hard to recall his short stay in the Lifestream. It was… blurred, at best, fragments and vague perceptions of what had transpired inside his head while he was unconscious from mako poisoning. But the memories he'd retrieved _from_ those events… they were clear, maddeningly so, as if the said memories had cleared themselves just to spite him, to remind him of the fool he'd been when he decided to take another's memory and identity.

**_Ah, Zack… I've done this a thousand times before, and I know that plain wishing will never bring you back, but I'm a stubborn asshole… I wish you were still alive…_**

_"I know the world sucks, Spike, but plain wishing won't get you anywhere."_

**_Zack?!_**

_"But it's not your fault, nor is it mine, or anyone else's. Remember that. It's just the way things are."_

It _was_ Zack – at least, it sounded like him. He'd know that light-hearted voice anywhere. But… where in hell was it coming from? It echoed around him, seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once, and try as he might, he couldn't pinpoint a specific direction.

_"But what about…"_

_Now_ he'd gone off the deep end. That was his own voice, the high boyish lilt still undeveloped – his voice nearly a decade ago.

_"Oh, you mean that bastard? Ah, he's probably an exception. All right, you can blame him all you want, Spike. The world will be better off without people like him – and toss in your personal stalkers into that category for good measure."_

_"Zaa~~ack!!"_

_"But they _were_ stalking you! 'Least, that's what it looked like to me…"_

He wasn't imagining things. That memory was real, a conversation that had taken place a month after he'd first met Zack back in Midgar, two after he'd enlisted in the SOLDIER program. He remembered… that first month, before Zack found him, had not been an enjoyable experience. He had come fresh from Nibelheim, a green recruit lured by Shinra's advertising campaigns, but above all else, a child wanting to escape from the outcast reputation forcibly pegged onto him, and the gang of hometown bullies that came along with it.

He hadn't had much luck in that latter reason, though. Said gang of bullies had heard of the same stories of glory and fame, and had decided to take a shot at trying to emulate the legendary Sephiroth's stature. That their favorite punching bag and all-around target of physical and verbal abuse had tagged along was just a welcome bonus.

In reality, he hadn't been that bad a student. He had difficulty keeping up in physical exercises and classes, because of his smaller size; but when it came to academics and all things requiring the mental faculties, he excelled. His mind, as if sensing that he had been given a chance at a new life – a fresh start – seemed to have suddenly been turned on after a lifetime of slumber. His instructors had delighted in his quick mind, and his ability to absorb information from books like a sponge soaking up water.

The instructor in charge of the physical aspects of their training hadn't been as impressed. For some reason, he had disliked the small blonde right from the start, even if the quiet trainee had done nothing wrong. The instructor had even gone as far as calling him a sure failure at the first meeting, when he'd failed to accomplish the required one-hundred pushups.

It hadn't come as that much of a surprise that his old tormentors had immediately taken to the teacher, and vice versa; and between them they made most of his classes a living hell. During breaks and free hours he'd made himself as scarce as possible, in case the Nibelheim gang decided to do a bit of hunting. In that way he was able to avoid confrontations, but only to a certain extent. A month into the first term they were finally able to corner him, with the help of some older students. It had only been inevitable that they'd league with the resident delinquent gang; and although he'd tried his best in their physical combat lessons, what little he knew wasn't sufficient to fight off such a large group. They would beat him up enough to put him in the infirmary for a couple of weeks, but he knew they wouldn't have dared to kill him, as long as he didn't aggravate them further, so he'd resigned himself to his fate and prayed that they would tire of him sooner than later.

They'd already broken a few of his bones when Zack had happened to pass by; but they immediately scattered as soon as they'd seen him. The fact that Zack was known as General Sephiroth's second had chased them away, and he'd have run away too, if he hadn't been too injured to move. To say the least, he'd been mortified that it had to be a superior officer who found him, and had tried to limp – or more appropriately, crawl away after waving off the older man's questions of concern. Zack would have none of it, though, and promptly carried him to his personal quarters, amidst much protests in the younger recruit's part.

A Cure2 and a couple of wheedling questions later Zack was able to find out a bit about his past in his old hometown. A few more days spent in the company of the diminutive blonde and the older man had pretty much figured out his dilemma – and his problems with the resident physical combat instructor.

However hard he'd tried to convince the ranking officer that he no more need to be fussed over like some handicapped child – that Zack had to have many more important things to do rather than waste time befriending him, the SOLDIER had never listened. He'd known instinctively that he had found – or stumbled upon – a very powerful ally, but he'd never thought to take advantage of the connection the older man presented. Zack had started to treat him like a much loved younger brother, and he, who had never known his father, never had a male authority figure so far in his life, took to the treatment like a thirsty man after water.

It was then that Zack had started to give him one-on-one lessons on fighting. It had been slow going at first – routine physical exercises to increase his strength and stamina, and for too many times to count he'd wound up panting, shaking with exhaustion on the floor. But Zack had been patient with him, and by the end of the month had pronounced him fit enough to start undergoing basic martial arts lessons.

After one particularly frustrating session where he'd tried, and failed, to master a complex series of katas, he'd flopped down, bemoaned his clumsiness, and wished for a physique more suited for a SOLDIER candidate.

The scene materializing out of the green-tinged darkness had been Zack's response to that wish. For the other man, good-natured and optimistic to a fault, to declare such a pessimistic view about the world had been quite a shock to his younger self.

_"So you'll have to get stronger, okay? That way Mr. Prissy-pants and his favorite band of students won't have anything else to say to you."_

_"But it's so hard! I don't think I'll ever be able to stand up to them…"_

_"Nonsense! You're doing great, you know that? You might not have noticed, but you've gotten stronger. Everyone has to go through that at first. If you want to be able to pull off the more complex techniques and moves you'll have to have enough stamina, good reflexes, and a lot of coordination. That last three can only be acquired through constant practice and exercise."_

_"I'm really sorry, Zack. I'm such a burden…"_

He watched wistfully as the dark-haired man grabbed his younger self in a headlock and mercilessly ruffled his blonde spikes with his knuckles – a noogie, Zack called it.

_"– Hey!"_

_"Say 'sorry' one more time and I'll kick you from here 'till next Tuesday, y'hear?!"_

The teasing tone was back in Zack's mock-growl, and the small blonde smirked and barked a muffled "Yes, sir!!" before suddenly squirming and erupting into a fit of helpless laughter – for Zack had abruptly changed tactics and was now mercilessly tickling the young recruit.

He'd taken his daily sessions with Zack much more seriously after that talk – not that he hadn't been serious enough before; but since then he'd never complained. He whined good-naturedly every now and then, causing Zack to set off their usual playful wrestling matches, (he always ended up pinned to the ground or victim to the other man's infamous headlock) but outside of their teasing his concentration was total, his dedication to mastering everything Zack could teach him complete and near-obsessive. 

The bullying continued, but not as much as before since Zack kept a close watch on him, even going as far as visiting him in the trainees' barracks and nearly scaring his classmates (the Nibelheim bullies bunked in a separate barrack – good thing for them, Zack wouldn't have passed up the chance to leave a few… 'perks' behind for them to find otherwise) to death with his sudden intent to visit. They warmed to his easygoing and brotherly nature immediately after, but still kept a safe distance for fear of getting involved in issues out of their league.

The specters in front of him slowly dissolved into nothingness, leaving him with only his thoughts and returning memories to keep him company. He didn't know why that particular memory showed itself to him… was it because he had been thinking about Zack? Whatever the reason, it left him feeling hollow and slightly sentimental, that old feeling of something missing reasserting itself back into his thoughts.

The last time he'd felt that awful emptiness was right after he'd defeated Sephiroth.

The green darkness started to stir again, disturbances in the glossy surface most probably triggered by his latest thought.

**_Oh, goody. Another memory?_**

This time it was around two months after the first memory. Classes have just been dismissed for the weekend; and most of the students, having undergone a series of grueling written exams for the past week, were gearing up to spend their short break partying in Midgar's malls and clubs. Those who had stayed behind were either cranky old instructors, or students with no social lives to boast of.

His younger self, by default, in that case, belonged to the latter category, he mused as he watched the conjured image walk down quiet halls normally bustling with activity and noise.

**_Well, not really. I remember a couple of guys trying to get me to go with them, but I didn't want to._**

Yes. He remembered _this_ scene, clearer than the others, one of the most memorable events in his Midgar days – all due to three very special reasons.

Zack had finally upgraded him to weapon fighting, after two months of hand-to-hand combat and endless exercises. All that hard work had paid off; at that point he could already be categorized as a red-belter in most of the martial arts fields the Shinra Academy focused on. And he could be very, very fast when he needed to be; the slight frame he used to hate so much now adding to his speed and agility. His PE classes were still hell, the instructor as intolerable as ever, but at the very least he had Zack's friendship. That in itself made up for every negative complaint he had against the world.

But that didn't mean that he wouldn't have jumped at a chance to advance into weapons training, especially if Zack himself had offered. He'd attended several demonstrations, all required by their trainers, of course. He'd seen the Turks, with their guns and various instruments of assassination, then the platoons of lower-ranked soldiers had performed a number of synchronized rifle drills. The group that had impressed him the most, though, had been the SOLDIERS, who had chosen to use blades, staffs, and heavy striking weapons. The slender katana, in particular, had appealed to him, as well as the unwieldy-looking broadsword. They were opposites, in size, weight, and technique of handling, but both types had seemed to beckon to him as he'd watched the superior officers stage the mock-duels.

Which was why his younger self had been so eager to undertake that afternoon's lesson. Zack had told him that he'd get to try out all the standard issue weapons, and they'll try to find out which one suited him the most. He'd still have to train in the use of all the weapons, but the older man promised to help him focus on the weapon of his choice. He'd thought then that the advanced lessons would give him an edge during PE class.

He'd thought right – it was circumstance that had proven him wrong. But that was another story. He watched his younger self slip into the enormous training gym, now quiet and devoid of all but a few like-minded individuals. All were higher-ranked, and ignored the small blonde as he made his way into the sections for weapons training.

He was too early – Zack wasn't there yet; and too eager and hyper to just sit down on the mats and wait, started to go through a series of warm-up exercises and simple katas. Before he knew it he had proceeded on to the more complicated steps. So focused was he on his movements that he hadn't noticed a madly-grinning Zack creep up on him from behind.

_"Argh! Zack, geroff!"_

_"Didn't see that one coming, did you?" the older man asked, smug smirk and all plastered on his face._

_"Katas are supposed to be exercises on concentration, right? You told me that yourself." He grumbled back, squirming furiously this way and that, but never completely breaking the older man's grip on him._

_"Huh. Now you're throwing my words back at me. Why don't you go pick on someone your own size?" Zack whined as he released his friend, the corners of his mouth turning down in a mock-pout._

_"Speak for yourself!"_

The Zack image laughed, and even though the imitation didn't quite capture the real person's boundless exuberance and optimism, it was still a reminder of what his best friend used to be – a likeliness similar enough that it pained him to hear the clear, ringing tones that had cheered him up so many times in the past.

He watched, nostalgia now permeating his thoughts, as Zack apologized to his younger self, then abruptly switched to his usual pre-session pep talk. Minutes later they were going through the basics and safety procedures, and after that, finally started trying out the various weapons displayed in neat rows along the racks and shelves. The Lifestream's imitation of him was actually quite accurate – it managed to capture the right kind of excited gleam that had shone in his eyes as Zack put him through his paces with each new weapon he tried. Spears, swords, daggers, staffs, whips, bows, and guns – the afternoon light had waned and darkened into night when they'd finally finished, and Zack stood to one side, thinking of an assessment while he cooled down with a series of slow katas.

_"Sword? Broad or narrow? But you're also good with knives… Should be something that would conform to your speed…" Zack muttered to himself._

_"Definitely the narrow-bladed swords."_

If it were any other voice he would have ignored it, for whenever he concentrated he tended to disregard distractions unless they were directly addressing him. This new voice, however, belonged to someone all recruits knew, and were all conditioned to respond to whatever they happened to be doing at the time they were called. So it happened that his younger self, in the middle of a turn that should have looked graceful had it been executed properly, did a cross between a jump and a stumble that resulted in him sprawling out none too gracefully on the matted floor.

_"Or the katana, more specifically. Is your friend all right, Zack?"_

_"Perfectly fine! Right, Spike? What took you so long, Seph?"_

He hadn't seen, or heard what the other man's reply had been, since at that time he was busy trying to regain his lost dignity, but now, as an observer, he could clearly see the exchange between his superior officers. Sephiroth was lifting an elegant eyebrow, which his present self, for some reason, interpreted as: "What do you mean, 'what took me so long'? _You_ were the one who told me to hide and watch from the sidelines." Zack, on the other hand, had both hands up in his appeasing, just-kidding manner. 

It was a few more seconds later before he'd been able to jump up and assume a reasonably unruffled salute.

_"G-good afternoon sir! S-sorry, sir!"_

Even now, he had to wince at his stammering greeting and apology.

_"At ease, private. We're off-duty right now, so there's no need for that."_

_"Y-yes, sir…"_

_"So… an assessment… Normally we don't do this for recruits until a year into their training, but I'm free this afternoon, and since you asked…"_

_"Thanks for coming, Seph. So… what do you think?"_

_"His best asset is most obviously his speed, so you'd want to work with weapons that emphasize mobility. The lighter blades, even the double daggers, should work for him." Sephiroth paused, then looked at Zack. "But if you've taken him under your wing I'd imagine that you'd want something flashier than 2 small blades."_

Zack grinned, the message 'You know me too well' written all over his smirk, and Sephiroth continued.

_"If you want to add power to compensate for his slight build, you'll have to go with the broadswords. The axe may be too unwieldy, and might sacrifice too much of his speed, especially during the swings. For now I think it might be better if he trained using the lighter swords first. Once he has mastered the basics, he can move on to the larger blades."_

He noticed that Sephiroth was addressing his past self in the third person, but he hadn't minded then, and he didn't mind now. It was already more than enough that the famed General was spending his free time helping Zack with his training. Besides, it could be some kind of habit… Sephiroth must give assessments such as this one daily for him to have developed this style of addressing recruits.

Zack had been nodding while his superior spoke, and now he stood in front of the rack that displayed the various kinds of swords… He had to keep reminding himself that the images weren't _real_, that they were only memories being replayed by the green fluid that made up pretty much the whole of this dream world, that the green-tinged figures in front of him couldn't possibly compare to the real people… but it's been so long since he'd seen a likeliness of his old friend, be it a still photograph, or a moving image… It was all he could do not to step into and among the conjured images, and just hug Zack, for as long as the Lifestream permitted him…

_"Light, but big enough to give him enough power…" Zack, again muttering to himself, cast a critical eye over the displayed swords. "Of course, it should look cool… Murasame looks too dull, might be too heavy for Spike… Orichalcon? Nah, too gaudy, it'll just attract thieves…"_

The Lifestream Sephiroth shook his head, as if exasperated at the trivial things Zack was paying attention to rather than the necessities he should be focusing on. At this point, he could remember staring wide-eyed at both of his superior officers – at Zack, the carefree and open way he treated the white-haired general, and Sephiroth, at how… normal he seemed to be treating an ordinary recruit like him. He'd expected something more aloof, or haughty… not that he preferred being faced with the second kind of treatment…

Sephiroth – the Lifestream Sephiroth – gave one last sigh, but he was smiling, almost as if trying to put him at ease, when he turned to address his younger self, who jumped at suddenly being paid attention to.

_"Don't mind him, he'll be like that for a while until he finds something that would pass all of his criteria… Anyway, your name's Strife, right?"_

_"Y-yes, sir! Cloud Strife, sir!"_

_"Well, Cloud, would you like to spar?"_

_"W-what?"_

_"Nothing serious, just a practice spar."_

_"But I –"_

_"Don't worry, I won't go all-out. Well, it's not even a spar, technically. Try to hit me, while I block; and later, we'll switch positions. I'll attack you, while you try to block my blows as best as you can. In the process, I'll be evaluating your initial stance, tell you what your mistakes are, and suggest improvements and techniques, or fighting styles that I think might suit you. Trust me, in this one session you'll be able to learn more than the whole month of theoretical classes you'll be taking in preparation for your weapon fighting course."_

The Lifestream Sephiroth chuckled when his younger self blanched at the mention of the theoretical classes. He remembered those well enough, and would like to forget them if he could. They were, bluntly put, pure hell – hours and hours of listening to aging instructors drone about the weight of this and that sword versus gravity and how it would affect the trajectory of projectile so-and-so.

_"And I've been watching from the sidelines until awhile ago, remember? Zack's actually right this time – you do have a bit of natural talent; you don't have to worry about 'screwing up' in front of me. Everyone has to go through that stage at the beginning."_

Sephiroth was right; the session hadn't gone as badly as he'd thought at first. The General, he'd found out, was a fair and understanding instructor, stern enough to inspire concentration and diligence, but not too harsh that his students would be too scared to actually learn anything from him. He pointed out mistakes instantly, but didn't go as far as to humiliate or berate. His instructions were clear and easy to understand, and his suggestions were very helpful, seemingly tailored to fit the capabilities of the person he was teaching. He'd found himself enjoying so much that he'd actually felt disappointed when Zack came back, carrying a strange-looking sword, after wandering off for thirty minutes.

The weapon looked closer to a broadsword in size and weight than a katana, so he'd been surprised back then that Zack had picked that one, after hearing what Sephiroth had said. The blade was straight, and was sharp only at one edge. Actually, its shape resembled Zack's own Buster Sword, only narrower, a few inches shorter, and it had a more ornate hilt.

_"Silfolion," Sephiroth said slowly, "I'd almost forgotten about this one. Yes, that would be perfect for him."_

_"It would, wouldn't it?" Zack agreed cheerfully, handing the sword hilt-first to the wide-eyed blonde. "Mind you, I'd have given him the Buster Sword right away if he could handle it, but, yeah, I think this baby's the right one for him – for now, at least."_

He'd accepted the sword right away, and for a split second, stared in horror that he'd done so without thinking, that he wouldn't be able to carry such a heavy-looking sword and that it'd probably crash to the floor and make a mess of the matting… Horror quickly turned to wonder, though. The sword was unbelievably _light_, not much heavier than the practice swords he and Sephiroth had used.

_"As Seph said, it's called Silfolion, the only one of its kind in the whole armory. Actually, attempts have been made to copy its dimensions, but no one's succeeded creating something with the same size and weight. Supposedly a really good blacksmith donated it to Shinra, or something – waste of good material, if you ask me, since none of the officers could use it, for some reason, and the higher-ups won't even let the recruits touch it."_

_"Zack…"_

_"It's true, you know it, Seph. Though it beats me why we can't seem to use it, when it should be easy to handle since it's so light… Well, let's see if Spike can, shall we?"_

Zack and Sephiroth had hit the nail right on the head. That sword… he'd felt that he'd connected with it somehow. The General had turned all thoughtful and introspective, while his dark-haired friend just grinned widely, when they saw him take a few practice swings with it. Silfolion had actually felt like an extension of his arm; he hadn't known it back then, but he'd looked almost like someone who'd been using swords all his life, and not a mere first-timer among real weapons.

The conjured images started to melt away, and once again he was left with his thoughts, and more memories of what had happened after. Zack told him that Sephiroth had gone and pulled a few strings – as a favor, he remembered Zack telling his extremely embarrassed and grateful self – and so for a few weeks he had permission to use Silfolion whenever Zack trained him. But when the allotted time had ran out, Zack returned Silfolion back to the storage room. Well, he'd hemmed and hawed while doing so, saying that the tight-assed, and tight-palmed Shinra executives would be doing themselves a great favor by giving ownership of the sword over to his protégé; but they really couldn't do anything about it, not without raising a few issues, some awkward questions, and "a lot of stupid jealousy among the higher ranks", Zack had grumbled.

**_Silfolion… I wonder what happened to it? I hope they hadn't melted it down… I'll have to ask Reeve the next time I see him, he might have records of it somewhere in his files…_**

-- woULd YoU likE tO Buy SOme flOWeRs? --

**_What?!_**

-- tHeY'Re oNLy One gIL… --

He turned around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash, and found himself faced with Aeris.

Or rather, another Lifestream-conjured image, this time that of the flower girl he'd sworn to protect nearly two years ago. But the other images had at least some semblance of color and flesh, while the Aeris in front of him right now looked like a statue molded out of Lifestream, edges and contours too smooth and fluid to be real. Even the flowers in the basket she was holding were green. It was eerie.

And it was starting to freak him out.

**_This isn't funny…_**

Lifestream Aeris tilted her head to one side, eyes blinking in polite confusion, and smiled as if there was nothing wrong in the world. 

-- fuNnY…? --

**_Look, Lifestream, or Planet – whatever the hell you are, what do you want? Why am I here? Where is this place, for that matter?_**

The Lifestream image smiled again, the smile belonging to someone trying to comfort a frightened person or creature, then turned around slowly to look at something behind her.

-- dO You… MiSs thEM? --

**_Them? What are you…_**

Something was disturbing the surface of the floor – water? It definitely looked like water now, what looked to be bubbles from unseen fissures were breaking the surface. Then, either the bubbles grew larger, or the fissures became underwater geysers, but the water suddenly started rising up, forming three deformed vertical columns that slowly took on shape. Seconds later, he found himself staring in surprise at three very familiar figures.

-- Do yOU mIss TheM? -- 

The Lifestream Aeris was addressing him again, but he didn't answer, now very confused at the sudden change from the replaying of memories – which he thought would be the regular routine until he woke up.

**_Miss them?_** he echoed dumbly, looking first at Aeris, then Zack, and finally, Sephiroth's still likenesses. Like the Aeris talking to him now they had no color, no life; but unlike the figure the Lifestream had apparently chosen to communicate with, they didn't move, not even the tiniest bit of animation that he had at least beheld in the short replays the Lifestream had done for his memories. These were mere mannequins, eyes open but unnervingly blank and devoid of any light.

**_Of course_**, he finally answered softly. **_Why wouldn't I? I'd give anything to see them alive again._**

-- eVen THe oNe whO kiLLeD YouR mOThEr? --

**_That wasn't him… The real Sephiroth… wouldn't have done that._**

Yes. He'd known even when they were fighting the man himself, but the second memory had served to imprint that belief even more firmly in his mind. The Sephiroth he had known back then was someone Zack had befriended, a kindred soul hidden under the invincible and ice-cold persona of the General. A sane Sephiroth couldn't have done all those things back in Nibelheim, and would have preferred killing himself rather than be deluded by impossible visions of godhood and world dominion.

-- You'RE nOT… AnGrY? --

**_No_**, he answered, remembering the few times Sephiroth had visited them again after that first session, as if checking up on his progress. The superior officer had no obligation to meet with his younger self again, but he did, several times over. Didn't that speak volumes about the other man's true character and inherent goodness?

-- … sORry. --

**_What?_**

The images came all at once, blasting into his consciousness with such force that he actually felt pain, fiery knives driving into his skull, reducing his vision into blinding whiteness. He felt himself fall to his knees, and his hands were clutching the sides of his head, the gesture reminiscent of the times he "went wacko", as Cid liked to call it. What he felt now was _nothing_ compared to those headaches, though. At least during those episodes he had the luxury of blacking out, and the pain was purely physical. Now, it seemed like someone, or _something_ was keeping him awake, forcing him to relieve the worse experiences of his life.

broken bleeding lifeless **eyes **bullet **casings **in the rain mercenaries **cloud **you and me glass tubes **needles **white labcoats mako **pain **pain and **suffering **hang in there Cloud _city of the ancients _let me handle **sephiroth **hallowed church **holy **meteor you remind me of **someone **i used to know **promised land **they are not human jenova **weak puppet **reunion I am coming **mother **sector 7 casualties avalanche murderers **rebels **exploding reactors worthless glowing **lifestream **weapon midgar **soldier** failure give me anumber _number _**death **destruction **godhood **blood – 

**_STOP IT!!!_**

-- SoRrY… --

**_What in hell was that?!_** he shouted, too frazzled and disoriented to notice that the flow of images had stopped, or that tears were running freely down his face. The Lifestream Aeris only looked down at him with sorrowful and apologetic eyes, if such emotions could even be displayed by a monochromatic figure. He staggered to his feet, weak, blubbery limbs barely able to hold his weight after the vicious mental attack.

**_Answer me! What did you just do?!_**

The three figures behind the Lifestream's representative started to dissolve, features melting back into the green fluid. He watched in confusion as the now shapeless columns receded back into the surface of the water.

**_Hey, wait! What's happening?_**

-- DoN't wORrY… EveRYtHIng… wiLL tUrN oUt… aLl RiGHt… --

**_What?! I don't understand!!_**

The Lifestream Aeris turned around, and started to walk away. He scrambled to his feet, or rather, tried to – his knees felt like jelly, and his hands groped uselessly, failing him at a time he needed their support the most. When he'd finally struggled to an upright position he looked around frantically, only to find that Aeris had disappeared, as suddenly as she had appeared before him. He knew she wasn't the real one, that he shouldn't be as panicked as he was now, but he had too many questions, was still too confused with the pain he could feel lingering in his mind.

**_Where… Wait!! Please… I… I don't understand!!_**

A split-second flash, sudden and nearly blinding, green-tinged lightning leaving him desperately trying to blink and clear the dancing dark-green spots in his eyes. He looked around… and noticed that the dreamscape had changed yet again. The ripples have disappeared, leaving his surroundings still, dark, and deathly quiet. He suddenly felt very, very lonely.

-- sOoN… --

**_Don't leave me! Wait!!!_**

~~~~~

"Wait!!!"

Cloud Strife found himself sitting up in bed, with the sweat-soaked sheets tangled around his body, and his right arm stretched out into the air in front of him, as if trying to reach out and hold on to some fleeing object. He blinked stupidly for a few moments, not recognizing his own bedroom, and just as he was trying to get his bearings and figure out what had happened to cause the echoes of his last shout something rang, the loud shrill tone deafening in the silence of the night.

Was this what had woken him? His PHS was ringing shrilly on his bedside table, the vibration caused by its loud frequency nearly jumping it off the wood and onto the floor. He fumbled for it in the dark, almost stumbling off the bed in his haste to answer it and stop the irritating jangling.

" 'lo?" he slurred.

It was Ricky, one of the lead foremen Reeve had assigned to head the various construction and cleanup efforts in and around Midgar.

Mr. Strife, sir! Trouble outside on Section Four! A herd of Marlboros suddenly attacked – there's more'n fifty of them, we can't hold them off! 

"What?!"

We don't know what spooked them, but we've never seen a group this big! 

In the background he could hear yells and screams of panic, and what sounded like angry growls and roars. 

/ Marlboros never attack in groups of more than five… And they don't attack unless hungry or provoked… /

His dream was promptly forgotten as he realized the gravity of the situation. AVALANCHE had come across several of the irritating creatures during their year-long journey, particularly in the Gaia Cliffs. The small groups of two or three were mere annoyances compared to Jenova and Sephiroth, but Cloud would rather face the space alien again than go up against 50 or more of the disgusting Marlboros. At least Jenova didn't stink… much…

In his mind's eye he could see a fleeting image of the tentacled beasts descending on the construction base. He would have brushed it off as imagination if it weren't for one seemingly innocent, but actually chilling fact that set it apart from the normal imagery. The Marlboros in his image were out-of-control, literally on the rampage, when he knew that when they attack they have at least some semblance of control, an animalistic chain of command that had the larger ones attacking aggressively, the smaller, younger creatures staying back and poisoning their prey whenever they could. In picturing said attack one would put that knowledge in, too, but in _his_ imagination, all of the Marlboros were attacking, even the young ones… was his image some kind of clairvoyant signal, then – a vision of the attack currently happening?

Cloud, awfully sorry to have disturbed your sleep, but we really need your help! 

Ricky was sounding more and more dismayed with each passing second. Now really wasn't the time to be thinking too much about trivial things. He jumped up, and started pulling on a pair of work pants with his free hand.

"Uh, yes, I'll be over right away. Just try to hang on for ten minutes. And Ricky – don't attack on your own, try to form a defensive line or circle."

Alright. Please hurry, sir! 

"I'll keep the line open," Cloud added, but the man had already turned his attention somewhere else, even though he'd left the phone on.

What the hell are you doing?! Marlboros are weak against water! Don't use Fire on them, you idiots!! 

Cloud held the PHS away from his ear, wincing a bit at the loud yell that issued from it. That bellow would have given Barret a run for his money. As promised, he kept the line open, sliding it into its pouch on his utility belt, along with the usual potions and healing items. He snatched a sweater from his closet, running into his bathroom as he pulled it on, then splashed his face with water to drive the last vestiges of sleep away. He didn't bother trying to run a comb through his perpetually unruly hair.

It took him a few seconds to open the safe where his materia was stored, but once the small, heavy door was open it didn't take him very long to select the orbs that he would take with him. He didn't even look at them, just reached in and pulled the spheres out from among their fellows, then slapped them into the appropriate slots on his sword. Restore, Heal, Ice, and Shiva and Ultima – just in case – all mastered, the size of large marbles. He also pocketed an All. He knew that once this was over lots of people would need healing and detoxification.

A minute later he was out and running to the stables located at the back of the house. It was the dead of the night – early morning, actually, so he was surprised to see the chocobos up and awake. They were pacing nervously in their individual stalls, excited warbles getting louder as they sensed and heard him approach.

"Hey you guys," he greeted quickly. The four – two golds and two blacks, warbled in reply, bright eyes gleaming excitedly in the dark as they took in his harried appearance. Cloud wondered fleetingly just how smart the birds were. "Yup, there's trouble out on Section Four. Gotta head out there a.s.a.p. I'm sorry, but I'll only be taking Karat." Disappointed coos came from the other three as he harnessed the older gold. 

"I'll make it up to you three later, okay? We'll go for a run when I find the time." Cloud reassured, amused at the sad faces the gigantic birds were pulling at him.

He didn't waste time looking for and putting on a saddle. He'd have to ride bareback this time. Cloud jumped onto Karat's broad back, holding his sword out of the way as he adjusted his position. Karat trotted out of the stable, and Cloud maneuvered his way past the stable and the yard, stopping for a second in front of Elmyra's house.

Something was bothering him. He couldn't put a finger on it, but the house looked different. It could be the dim light of the moon playing tricks on his eyes, but when he squinted and looked at the two-story structure from a certain angle he could almost see a slight… greenish haze over it, bringing to mind a scene that was very similar…

His PHS suddenly squawked, and even though both the receiver and the mouthpiece were covered by the fabric of the pouch, thereby muffling any sound coming from it, he could clearly hear the shouts and the cursing of the people at the other end of the line. Intermittent roars punctuated their screams, reminding him that he had less than eight minutes to try to reach the construction site in time to lessen the damage being done and save anyone from getting killed.

Cloud cursed aloud, then wheeled around and nudged Karat's sides, hard enough to communicate the urgency of the situation, and to tell the bird to run as fast as he possibly could, but not enough to cause pain or injury.

The gold chocobo took off like a shot, leaping ahead on powerful legs, and within seconds they were on the main road heading out of the residential section of New Midgar City. Apparently sentries stationed at guard posts along the way had already been alerted; they waved him on as he sped past. The few insomniacs still on the streets at that time of the night either stared or gave similar waves.

~~~~~

In the next few hours rider and chocobo would find themselves busy as hell, answering calls of like nature. More attacks had happened all around Midgar; it seemed that not only the Marlboros were behaving erratically. Even Tifa had been roused from sleep, Cait and Reeve hurrying to help soon after.

In the resulting flurry of activity and investigation Cloud utterly forgot about his dream. Later on he would remember, but only after certain earth-shattering events had happened. These events would have given him and AVALANCHE less grief had he remembered his dream, and the clues his memories had pointed at. Red XIII, for example, would have been interested to know that the green haze Cloud thought he had imagined had been real, and that said green haze was similar in characteristic and makeup to the swirls of Lifestream that had intercepted Meteor before it could crash into the planet. Yuffie would have been intrigued to find that at the time when Cloud opened his safe, and well into the next few hours, all the materia he owned had glowed slightly, like how they would glow when activated, just before the release of the spells they contained. She would have scolded him for not noticing, but he had been too distracted to notice.

And lastly, had Cloud taken the time to look at the mirror when he washed his face, he would have been startled to discover that his cheeks had been wet well before he turned the faucet on, and that his eyes had glowed, even more brightly than the usual mako brilliance. The glow disappeared a minute later, though, which was why nobody except his chocobos saw.

And everybody knew that it would be a waste of time to even ask.

--- end of chapter one ---

This chapter has one glaring formatting mistake – the flashback words – which I tried to correct by trial and error and reuploading so many times, I damn near hyperventilated from frustration. If after 24 hours it still hasn't corrected itself after this nth reupload, I'm gonna go kill myself.

Some more things that I don't own:

Silfolion: comes from Groove Adventure Rave. It's this really cool sword, and I couldn't resist plugging it in. I don't own it, as stated in the disclaimer.

Cloud's high IQ: inspired by Forbidden Fantasy: Soulmates, by NemesisStrife. It's also an extremely good read – though the author seems to have the same problem as I do, and hasn't updated in a very long while now… (hint, hint)

flashback words: style copied from a scene in Stygian Solace, by Uzumaki. It's one of the best Kingdom Hearts fanfiction I've ever read.

I have the major events plotted out, but not much plans on the story in between those. So I have no idea how to continue the next chapters, with the same length and quality as the first two. I'm sorry to say this, but Emerald Skies will be put temporarily on hold until a.) I'm able to think of what to write next; and b.) I get tired of writing Wild Hearts, the primary fic I'm focusing on.

But I'm not abandoning this, nuh-uh. I've way too many juicy scenes planned for the main pair to give this up. Sooo… pray that I'm able to find some phoenix downs for the muses responsible for this fic. I'll get back to this as soon as I'm able to. :)


End file.
